TITLE 29

State Government

State Agencies and Offices Not Created by Constitution

CHAPTER 39. DELAWARE COMMISSION ON INTERSTATE COOPERATION

§ 3901 Committees of the Senate, the House and the Governor.

(a) There shall be a standing committee of the Senate of the General Assembly to be known as the Senate Committee on Interstate Cooperation and to consist of 3 Senators. The members and the chairperson of this Committee shall be designated by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

(b) There shall be a similar standing committee of the House of Representatives of the General Assembly to be known as the House Committee on Interstate Cooperation and to consist of 3 members of the House of Representatives. The members and the chairperson of this committee shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(c) There shall be a committee of administrative officials and private citizens of Delaware to be known as the Governor's Committee on Interstate Cooperation and to consist of 3 members. The Governor shall appoint 1 of the 3 members of this Committee as its Chairperson. In addition to the regular members, the Governor shall be ex officio an honorary nonvoting member of this Committee.

The Committee of the Senate and the Committee of the House of Representatives shall function during the regular sessions of the General Assembly and also during the interim periods between such sessions. Their members shall serve until their successors are designated. The Senate and House Committees shall respectively constitute for this State the Senate Council and the House Council of the American Legislators' Association. The term of each administrative member of this Commission shall extend until the 1st day of February of each year of the regular biennial session of the General Assembly and until such member's successor is appointed.

(1) Carry forward the participation of this State as a member of the Council of State Governments;

(2) Encourage and assist the legislative, executive, administrative and judicial officials and employees of this State to develop and maintain friendly contact by correspondence, by conference and otherwise with officials and employees of the other states, of the federal government and of local units of government;

(3) Endeavor to advance cooperation between this State and other units of government whenever it seems advisable to do so by formulating proposals for and by facilitating:

a. The adoption of compacts;

b. The enactment of uniform or reciprocal statutes;

c. The adoption of uniform or reciprocal administrative rules and regulations;

d. The informal cooperation of governmental offices with one another;

e. The personal cooperation of governmental officials and employees with one another individually;

f. The interchange and clearance of research and information; and

g. Any other suitable process;

(4) Do all such acts as will, in the opinion of this Commission, enable this State to do its part, or more than its part, in forming a more perfect union among the various governments in the United States and in developing the Council of State Governments for that purpose.

The Commission shall establish such delegations and committees as it deems advisable in order that they may confer and formulate proposals concerning effective means to secure intergovernmental harmony and may perform other functions for the Commission in obedience to its decisions. Subject to the approval of the Commission, the member or members of each such delegation or committee shall be appointed by the Chairperson of the Commission. The Commission may provide such other rules as it considers appropriate concerning the membership and the functioning of any such delegation or committee. The Commission may provide for advisory boards for itself and for its various delegations and committees.

(a) The members of the Commission and the members of all delegations and committees which it establishes shall serve without compensation for such service but shall be paid their necessary expenses in carrying out their obligations under this chapter.

(b) The Commission may:

(1) Appoint 1 of its members its Secretary;

(2) Employ a stenographer;

(3) Incur such other expenses as may be necessary for the proper performance of its duties; and

(4) By contributions to the Council of State Governments, participate with other states in maintaining the Council's district and central secretariats and its other governmental services.

The Committees and the Commission established by this chapter shall be informally known, respectively, as the Senate Cooperation Committee, the House Cooperation Committee, the Governor's Cooperation Committee and the Delaware Cooperation Commission.